If you’ve been on the site lately (or seen the October ’12 Follow the Light Catalog), you’ve undoubtedly noticed the mermaid-esque photos from Sarah Lee. Glued to camera viewfinders, DaFins, and the sea. Aiming to make photos to capture and accentuate the beauty in her surroundings, her photos bring a fresh element of minimalism – of pure, youthful stoke – to surf photography.

Wish you could capture underwater scenes like Sarah? Yeah, us too. So after equipping ourselves with waterproof iPhone cases, we’ve turned to the expert at underwater/beach photography. Read on for tips from Sarah Lee, plus details on how you can WIN this beautiful print…

Underwater / Beach Photography Tips from Sarah Lee:

1. Contrary to land photos where sunrise/sunset is ideal, midday light is great for underwater photography.

2. Photographing people underwater: Skin tone looks best within 5ft-10ft of the surface.

3. Shoot up or across: Get at the same level or below what you’re photographing underwater. By photographing someone at the same depth near the surface, you might even be able to get some neat under surface reflections.

4. Outdoor / beach portraits: Find the shade between the edges of shadows and sun for soft, even floodlight.

5. Those moments in between are where the magic is at!

Ready to try out Sarah’s tips? Post your underwater/beach photos to Instragram and #theSWELLlife and make sure to tag @hisarahlee and @swell_style